(CNS): Chakane Jameile “CJ” Scott, the youngest person in HMP Northward who is serving a life sentence for murder, has been given a 28 year minimum tariff under the Conditional Release Law. As he delivered his ruling Friday, Justice Alex Henderson said that because Scott was just 18 years old when he killed his friend, Asher McGaw (20), in the early hours of 22 September 2011, he could take his age into consideration when arriving at the minimum time he must serve.

The judge reduced the tariff from the 30 years set out in the law because he said it was reasonable to conclude from his age that Scott’s “level of insight, maturity and understanding” was less than a mature adult.

The law recommends that the minimum term a person convicted of murder should serve before they are eligible to be considered for release should be 30 years. But the legislation gives the court some discretion to increase or decrease the tariff depending on the circumstances of a case, and the age of an offender at the time of a killing is one identified in the law.

But there was little else for the judge to consider in Scott’s case. He did not give evidence at trial and no motive was ever established as to why he killed McGaw, as the two young adults had been out drinking together that night in East End with a third friend, who was the witness in the case.

In the early morning hours, the three young men were hanging around near the East End clinic messing around with a flare gun. Scott was believed to have shot McGaw three times with a real firearm sometime after McGaw had let off the flare gun. With no other information about Scott or the circumstances of the case, his age was the only factor for Justice Henderson, who was also the trial judge in the case, to consider.

Scott has been in jail since he was arrested soon after the murder took places, so he has already served more than five years. He can therefore expect to have his first conditional release hearing in the autumn of 2039.

The local man is one of a list of around 15 lifers who are to be given set terms for the mandatory life sentences they received for murder as a result of new legislation implemented last year to meet the requirements of the Bill of Rights.

Following his judgment in the Scott case Friday, Henderson began a hearing submission on the tariff for Trevino Bodden, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of two brothers in East End in November 2006. Bodden, who has already served more than ten years in jail, was 20 years old when he killed Bernard Scott and Renold Pearson in East End after a fight on Fiddlers Way.

At least he isn’t a Rat northward isn’t so bad free food hanging out with your friends and family and for this kid his friends that were at the health center that night will always have to keep this kid happy

Bill of rights, What about the murdered one , what happened to his rights of life, Cayman claimed to be a Christian Island, if it is, then go by the bible , a life for life, if the murder is planned and not a accident, then hang him, if cannot hang him then jail him until the dead one comes back to life or the murderer dies.

I am so happy that we have this law that sends all the right messages to killers. The previous law allowed for lifers to get parole at any time and all the lifers/killers that was given parole all served less than 25 years.

Now this killer will have to serve 28 years before he can even apply for parole.

Yet we say the PPM did nothing.

All we want is candidates who say they are going to give Caymanians easy money and ensure we didn’t have to get educated and work hard for jobs.

I for one don’t want any money from government and I worked hard for the job I have.

I’m voting no to hand out politicians. I am a proud hard working Caymanian.

At all times, do we not see a trend, DRINKING OCCURS BEFORE A NEGATIVE INCIDENT …

I hope locals both old and young wake up and see the deceiving affects alcohol has on the person and people around you! Drugs and alcohol are always involved in the most awful crimes committed in Cayman!

With all the proven negative impact alcohol has had on society, yet there are the ungodly individuals who are renewing the licenses and on top of that, issuing more licenses to sell alcohol. In my opinion, the board serves no useful purpose to society but to ruin our heritage. The government only thinks about the revenue they can make on the sale of alcohol and could not care less about how our island is being destroyed. I guess they call that progressive. If my memory serves me right, I read somewhere, something to the effect that the Premier was in the UK handing out free beer in the pub.
Is this another fine example of being progressive?